Battle of the Brands: The Sweet 16

Welcome to the Sweet 16 of Lessing-Flynn‘s Battle of the Brands. Unlike previous match-ups that were staggered – we are putting all of the Sweet 16 match-ups in one post. Also of note, Voting for this region will end on Wednesday, June 23 at noon. To VOTE for the Sweet 16 match-ups click HERE – or find another link at the bottom of this post. Thanks for participating in the Battle of the Brands.

In the middle of nowhere in Iowa? Bet you $10 there’s a Casey’s within five miles of you. They also have a ton of stores in Central Iowa which is probably why they’ve been one of the top brands for votes thus far. In the middle of nowhere in Iowa and looking for something to do? You’ll probably run into your neighbor and their cow at the Iowa State Fair. Attendance at the Fair flirts with 1,000,000 annually. The loser of this match-up may want to change the name to “When Keepin’ it Rural Goes Wrong” – apologies for the six year old Dave Chappelle reference.

Animals running wild in a shopping center = Jumanji! Finding something to pick on with these two brands is a challenge, so we’ll got with something that would make each of them better. All in favor of the Blank Park Zoo selling sushi from Miyabi 9 at the consession stand, say “I.” Sorry, oversized Koi fish, your votes don’t count. How about a laughing hyena working the Simply for Giggles counter? Bear Grylls has nothing on this match-up. It’s Shopper vs. Wild. It’s Jumanji!

So where are you dropping your $10-$15 Copay? The whole “Clinic” term suggests “Hey, we may be able to get in and out of here in an hour!” The whole “System” term conjures up the grandeur of Star Wars sized proportions for the Iowa Health System. We love saving time. We love Yoda. Tough call.

We’re going to rock down to, Electric Avenue! Imagine that. A likable energy company? Props to MidAmerican Energy for not being BP. With over 1,000 agents and 65 Iowa offices, Iowa Realty cranks out out a ton of house marketing – we think Iowa Realty’s VP of Marketing, Brennan Buckley is probably up for the challenge though. So is it Electric or the Avenue? Vote, and then we’ll take it higher!

If they ever start trademarking colors, John Deere Credit and the John Deere brand have first dibs on green. Kermit the Frog is sulking in a swamp somewhere. Need to finance farm equipment? The first place most farmer look first is John Deere Credit. Banking – Loans – Investing & Insurance – Wells Fargo does it all. The stagecoach is about as American as it gets. It suggests growth and history. Two great Iowa brands. Vote for your favorite.

You think the sales rep at KCCI who calls on Karl Chevrolet is happy about this one? Think again. Karl Moyer at Karl Chevrolet has built quite a reputation for the way they treat their customers. Kevin Cooney, who’s Google alerts must be lighting up this month has made quite a reputation for KCCI as Iowa’s #1 news channel. Cooney-Cooney-Cooney! Moyer-Moyer-Moyer!

Apologies for the Yo! Gabba Gabba reference. So… “The Classic Taste that kicks all others in the buns?” That’s their line, not ours. B-Bops has been voted CityView’s Best of Des Moines for 16 years in a row. Hy-Vee has survived match-up against Dahl’s and Fareway on their way to the Sweet 16. Best burgers or best grocery store? What are you hungry for?